Fire-escape.



. WELSH.

ESCAPE.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPM CDqWASHINGTON, D c.

E. 0. WELSH.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APILIOATION FILED JULY 19, 1909.

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Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

Z272? fi/fi E. C. WELSH.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLIGATION mum JULY 19, 1909.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

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EZRA o. WELSH, or New WMIDDLETOWN, OHIO.

IRE-mere Specification 01' Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

Application filed July 19, 1909. Serial No. 508,260.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EZRA C. VVELSH, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Middletown, in the county of Mahoning, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire- Escapes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to fire escapes and has special reference to a fire escape of the winding drum type wherein a person descends from a building by means of a rope wound upon a drum and permitted to unwind therefrom.

One object of the invention is to improve the general construction of fire escapes of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fire escape of this character with a manually operable brake and an automatic brake.

A third object of the invention is to provide a means whereby the fire escape may be utilized for the descent from a building of a single person, the descending person controlling the manually operable brake, or for the descent of a number of persons successively, the person at the top controlling the brake and rewinding apparatus.

A fourth object of the invention is to provide an improved means for winding the cable in even layers on a drum.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in general of a casing, a drum brake mechanism arranged to control a cable wound on said drum and guide mechanism for rewinding the cable evenly on the drum.

The invention further consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and specifically set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and :Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device as used for the descent of a single person from a building. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the device in position for several persons to descend successively from a building. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the guide mechanism for rewinding the cable. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the drum brake. Fig. 7 is a detail section through the manually operable brake, the section being parallel to the side of the easing. Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a section similar to Fig. 7 through the automatic brake. Fig. 10 is a section on the line 1010 of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a section on the line 1111 of Fig. 1.

The casing of this invention comprises a front member or front side 20 and a rear side 21. These sides are spaced apart at what may be termed the drum end by means of an end block 22 and are held in spaced relation at what may be termed the delivery end by means of a pair of end blocks 23. The edges of the sides are rabbeted as at 24 for the reception of glass panels 25 wherethrough the operating mechanism may be seen and these panels are secured in position by stop blocks 26. The sides 20 and 21 are fastened to the end block 22 by suitable screws or bolts and the blocks 23 are secured together by screws 27, the sides being then attached to these blocks by screws 28. The sides 20 and 21 are provided with oppositely disposed bearings 29 wherein are held the journals 30 of a drum 31 which has the side flanges 32 formed with peripheral gear teeth 33. At 34 is a shaft the ends whereof are held in suitable bearings 35 formed in the side members 20 and 21 and on this shaft are pinions 36 which mesh with the gear teeth 33. Intermediate the pinions 36 this shaft is provided with a worm 37 and the end of this shaft projects through the side 20 for purposes hereinafter to be described.

Mounted in the casing is a frame 38 which is held in suitable sockets 39 formed in the sides 20 and 21 and this frame serves to support a shaft 40 whereon is a worm wheel 41 which meshes with the worm 37 On the end of the shaft 40 is a crank arm 42 provided with a suitable aperture in the outer end thereof for the reception of the stem 43 of a slotted guide 44.

The members 23 are recessed as at 45 and mounted in bearings 46 centrally disposed with reference to this recess is a shaft 47 whereon is carried a guide pulley 48. Communication is had from this recess to the interior of the casing by means of a passage way 49 so tapered that the wider end lies adacent the guide member 44 while the end adjacent the recess is of the same width as said recess. At 50 are other recesses similar in character tothe recess 45 and communicating therewith. Mounted in bearings 51, centrally disposed of the recesses 50, is a brake pulley shaft 52 which supports a brake pulley 53 and which projects through the side 20 for purposes hereinafter to be described. Still other recesses are formed at 541 and these recesses are provided with centrally disposed bearings 55 arranged to receive a shaft 56 whereon is mounted an idler pulley 57. At 58 is a guide block which is secured to the members 23 by means of suit able screws 59 and in this guide block is a recess 60 at the inner end of which is mounted a friction block 61 of some soft metal such as lead, Babbitt or the like. This block 61 is immovable in the recess but adjacent the immovable block is a sliding block 62 which is held to limited movement in said recess by means of a stop screw 63. At 61 is a plunger which is slidable in the outer end of the recess and between the block 62 and the plunger 61 is a spring 65. At 66 is a plate which is secured to the end of the block 58 and covers the end of the recess 60.

This plate 66 is socketed to receive a nut 67 wherethrough passes an adjusting screw 68 by means of which the spring 65 may be tensioned as desired. A cable 69 has one end thereof secured to the drum 31 and passes through the guide loop 4 1. From the guide loop 44 the cable is led through the slot 19, over the pulley 48, around the pulley 53, around the idler 57 and between -the blocks 61 and 62 to the outside of the casing where it is provided with a suitable ring 7 O. Hinged to the end piece 22 is a member ,71 which is arranged to bear against the cable wound upon the drum 31 and this member is forced firinly against said cable by means of a suitable spring 72 one end whereof is held in a spring seat 73 formed in the member 22 while the other end is held in a spring seat 74 formed in the member 71.

It will now be observed that as the cable is unwound from the drum it will be frictionally engaged by the drum brake 71 and by the block 61 and block 62. It will further be observed that when this cable is rewound the gears 33 will rotate the shaft 3 1 and thus actuate the worm. This in turn will rotate the worm wheel and its shaft and cause the guide 4 1 to move from side to side in a circular path. By reason of the proportions of the gearing this movement is so arranged that the cable will be fed on or led off from the drum in even and regular manner so thatthe winding or unwinding thereof may take place without the coils of the cable riding upon each other. V In order to provide for more friction than the drum brake and blocks previously described are capable of producing and to keep the speed of the descent within safe limits a permanent brake is employed. At 75 there is mounted 011 the member 20 a bracket which is provided with a slotted projection 76. This bracket 75 is located adjacent the end of the shaft 52 which projects through the side 20. On this projecting end is mounted a brake drum 77 which is surrounded by a pair of brake bands 78 pivoted to a shaft 79 supported in the slotted portion 76 of the bracket 75. These brake bands are further provided with perforated ears 80 the perforation in one of the ears being threaded for the reception of a tightening screw 81. This brake is so adjusted as to check the revolution of the brake pulley and keep the same within such limits that the cable will not unwind'from its drum at a sufiicient-ly rapid rate to injure a person should the hand brake not be operated by reason of nervousness or lack of ability on the part of the user to control the same. The brake is not however, designed to run sufliciently slow to make the hand brake useless but is simply an emergency or safety brake.

The hand construction to the permanent brake justbrake is of somewhat similar described. The hand brake comprises a bracket 82 provided with a slotted extension 83 and a pin 84 extends across the slot thus formed. Upon the shaft 3 1 is securely keyed a brake drum 85 andbrake bands 86 are pivoted on the pin 84 and extend around the sides of the drum 85. These brake bands are provided with cars 87 one of which has a smooth opening while the opening in the other is threaded. A bearing bracket 88 is mounted adjacent one edge of the casing and through this bearing bracket extends a shaft 89 having a reduced end provided with a threaded portion 90 which engages in the threaded ear 87 while the shoulder between the reduced portion and the body ofthe shaft 89 bears against the other ear 87. This shaft 89 is also provided with a hand wheel 91 fixedly mounted on the shaft and by the rotation of this hand wheel the brake bands 86 may be tightened on the drum 85 at the will of the operator. The shaft 34 projects above the drum and there is provided a crank 92 adapted to fit on this shaft and rotate the same. when the same is not being'utilized for the purpose of rotating the winding drum.

In order to suspend the device and to provide means for attaching a belt the casing is embraced by a yoke 94 securely attached to the casingand provided with a clevis 95 arranged to lie intermediate the sides 20 and 21.

In using the device when a series of persons desire to descend from a building the ring on-the end-of the cable is used to re- A clip 93 is used to hold the crank ceive a belt or a hook on a belt and the clevis is hooked on a suitable hook located on the sill or frame of a window or the like. The person then swings from the window and the cable unwinds from the drum. Meanwhile, the speed of descent is rendered as slow as may be desired by one of the persons who remain in the room operating the hand brake. lVhen the descent of one person has been completed the crank is used to rewind the cable and get the device ready for the descent of the second person. When all but the last person have descended the cable is wound up and the easing reversed, the ring on the end of the cable being used for attachment to the hook on the window sill or frame while the clevis is used for the attachment of the belt. This person then swings from the sill, grasping the casing with one hand while with the other hand the brake wheel 91 is manipulated to regulate the speed of descent. If, however, the hand brake is left entirely off the automatic brake, while permitting a more rapid descent than pleasant, will still serve to prevent injury to the user.

It will be obvious that when but one person desires to use the device it will be used in the same manner as described when the person is the last of several to descend.

In the present instance the drum and cable are intended for descents up to sixty feet, that is to say, the drum is sufiiciently large to contain sixty feet of cable, but it will be obvious that by changes in the proportions the device may be made to accommodate any desired length of cable. It will also be obvious that the device may be made strong enough to permit the descent of more than one person at a time, as for instance, to permit a fireman carrying a person from a burning building by the use of this fire escape. There has thus been provided a simple, eflicient and compact device of the kind described and for the purpose specified.

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and construction of this invention without departing from the material principles thereof. It is not therefore desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described, but it is wished to include all such as properly come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. In a device of the kind described, a casing, a winding drum therein, a cable wound on said drum, a guide for said cable, and means to move said guide across the face of the drum as the cable is wound thereon, said means being arranged to traverse the face of the drum more rapidly at the ends than in the center.

2. In a device of the kind described, a winding drum, a gear formed on said winding drum, a shaft mounted adjacent said winding drum, a pinion fixed on said shaft and meshing with said gear, a worm on said shaft, a worm wheel shaft mounted to retate in a plane at right angles to the first mentioned shaft, a cable wound on said drum, and means to guide the cable on to the drum during winding, said means ,being connected to the worm wheel shaft and arranged to move more rapidly across the face of the drum at the ends of the drum than at the center.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

EZRA C. IVELSI'I.

Witnesses:

L. N. GILLIs, M. T. MILLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

